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This week our Weekly Wednesday includes one man's struggles with the DHB system, new research indicates that HBO has limited benefits, researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Centre find some persistent aspects to HPV following treament and Lynn Aspey, explores "the new normal". Enjoy!

Friday was an easier start as we knew the format and layout ….. old hands we greeted each other like long lost family – weare unitednow. in this together ….Mostlyhealth professionals but some big absences noted.

The first session was Rami Rahal from CPAC (Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, Canada). He spoke on improving outcomes through evidence-based policy and performance measurements. – OMG – fantastic work. He admits that currently we do better in involving our indigenous people

Below are seven petitions that are being presented to Parliament next Tuesday (7 May) for 26 life extending or life improving drugs to be funded by PHARMAC, across six diseases (Lung Cancer, Breast Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia, Multiple Myeloma and Pompe Disease). Some of these drugs have been funded for many countries for many years. Some of the petitions close within three days.

Please take the time to sign each one (they only take twenty seconds e

Only one immunotherapy drug is approved and funded for people affected by head and neck cancer. Two drugs have been approved by MedSafe and are waiting for funding from Pharmac. The development of immunotherapy treatments will explode in the next ten years. We want people affected by all forms of cancer to have the best possible treatment, care and support. Read on...

This week our Network News covers a great new podcast from our friends in Australia, new developments in immunotherapy, Ellen Goodman gives you the maths on starting the conversation about End of Life Care, and finally some data on the rise of head and neck cancers.

The Thing About Cancer

Listen to the welcome episode to find out what The Thing About Cancer podcast seriesis all about – and how it can help after a cancer diagnosis.

This week our Network News is all about our Network. The AGM is to be held Monday 6 May at 6pm at Domain Lodge, Grafton, Auckland. Please check the details on our website. Patients, friends and family are most welcome to attend. It is an opportunity for members and prospective members to get together to discuss the performance of the Network over the year, and to plan for the year ahead.

What is you cannot attend in person?

You can attend our meeting by accessing it through Zoom technology onl

This week we share with you some commonly head myths about Head and Neck Cancers, a touching story of a rugby player determined to make the best of his end of days, and we look at why there are so few women as surgeons.

Commonly Held Myths of Head and Neck Cancers

There are many myths associated with head and neck cancer such as how environmental influences can affect our risk, or what role gender plays. Here, Dr Fauzia Riaz helps set the record straight to provide the real facts behind the myt

The Thursday afternoon sessions started with Prof David Currow (Cancer Institute NSW, Australia) talking about prioritisation experiences in cancer control in Australia – in particular hubs of excellence. See his presentation here.

Hon Steve Maharey, the new Chair of PHARMAC, talked on the processes of PHARMAC – my personal take was that he used his “newness” to avoid the hard questions. There was an item of interest that he talked on which was a new d

Clinicians who prescribe radiation to treat cancer face a fundamental difficulty in determining what dose to apply: They don’t know how individual tumors will respond to the therapy.

Now, a project by researchers at the University of Arkansas and Johns Hopkins University may promise a way to detect the difference between tumors in the lung and the head and neck that react positively to the therapy, by shrinking, and those

Stand with our brothers and sisters affected by lung cancer. More New Zealand die of lung cancer than any other cancer. Sufferers are often stigmatised by smoking, when most have never smoked. The Lung Cancer Foundation are looking for support for their petition to have lung cancer declared a health priorty and to approve additional budget for Pharmac to fund lung cancer medications, including Keytruda, Alectinib, Osimertinib and Crizotinib, for all Kiwis with advanced lung cancer

We are intending to make a submission on the current state of the New Zealand health and disability system. We will collate all your responses and present them to the Review. Submissions from organisations are powerful. We intend to advocate for the best treatment, care and support for people affected by head and neck cancer. If you wish to share your thoughts you can do so by accessing our survey here. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GZZY9F8

How to Cope With Post-Cancer Fear

Credit: Photo compliments of Robert Brown Robert Brown, a retired attorney, leans on a sign post at Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, a resort area in the Alps near the junction of France, Switzerland and Italy. Brown has survived throat and bladder cancer and continues to live an active life that includes golf, backpacking and yoga.

You get cancer. You get it fixed. After treatment ends, you get something new: a black cloud that can follow you around for decades. Is this n

Heather Anderson continues her summary of attending the Cancer Care at the Crossroads conference.

For me the Conference started on Wednesday afternoon. The pre-Conference lecture was from Dr Fatima Cardoso. She is a world reknown oncologist with an interest in Advanced Breast Cancer (ABC) from Lisbon. She and others have been instrumental in setting up ESMO. This is a 10 step guidelines program to improve outcomes for those with ABC. Dr Cardoso travels the world helping cou

Our deepest, heartfelt, condolences to the family and friends of the victims in the Christchurch Mosque shootings. Arohanui.

It's hard to find the words that will acknowledge what happened and how it has made many of us feel. I strongly suggest that if the recent events have left you feeling overwhelmed you seek support from the Cancer Society, or your General Practitioner.

This week our Network News include a summary of the Palmerston North Support Group meeting held in Janua

An interesting new take on managing the increasing numbers of people surviving cancer with high needs.

Abstract ONLY: The growth in the number of cancer survivors in the face of projected health-care workforce shortages will challenge the US health-care system in delivering follow-up care. New methods of delivering follow-up care are needed that address the ongoing nee

Heather Anderson, is one of the Network Committee members. Together with Brian Sheppard, she attended the recent Cancer Care at the Crossroads Conference, at Te Papa, Wellington. In this article, Heather shares her thoughts and impressions from the conference.

My mind has been spinning since attending the Cancer at a Crossroads Conference. The conference was at Te Papa in Wellington. So much information and so many phenomenal people. The Data is so specific I will not even try and report on tha

This week our weekly news looks at Google’s move into Electronic Health Records (EHR). a new device to treat tumours in head and neck cancer, ADHB receives the Rainbow Tick, and the reporting of problems for women surgeons continues.